


Episode 13

by ADHDemon (Nehanshika_524)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Other, Theatre, another request is here mdudes, drama club, idk man its like a shiro/reader thing in a romance play, plays, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 19:10:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10928190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nehanshika_524/pseuds/ADHDemon
Summary: A short(-ish) story about you, a theatre performance, and Shiro.(written for a friend! sorry it took so long, by the way..)





	Episode 13

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAA SO this was originally gonna be like. a multichapter thing so the story structure is fairly fragmented and a little messy, but hopefully ya'll like it nonetheless!  
> this is a high school AU, as requested by a very very good friend of mine! Basically, You and Shiro are in a romance play together, and Allura is the #1 wingman. hehe.  
> also! one more little note! You (the reader) are a gender-neutral character c:

_It’s okay, it’s just a play. You’ve dealt with worse scripts than this, anyway. You can do this._

You take a deep breath and open the doors to the theatre hall. Almost instantly, the scent of some kind of floral perfume appears, and a thrilled Allura is at your side, her white hair bouncing in its loose ponytail. “Oh, I’m so glad you came!” She gives you a quick hug, the gauzy sleeves of her blouse catching in the light. You can’t help but smile- Allura always eases your anxieties, even if only a little.

“We were just about to begin the first rehearsal. Congratulations on getting the part, by the way!” She guides you to the stage.

Allura is the costume designer and producer of the drama club- strictly speaking, each group of students was supposed to have their own designer and producer, but Allura had somewhat of a reputation, and people tended to trust her judgement.

You realise she’s been talking the entire time, and try to bring yourself back to the present. _Oops_. “…dancing with them! Isn’t that romantic? Anyway, here is your counterpart for the play. Shiro, meet—“

Shiro? Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. You had to back out of this. You had to form an escape plan. You glance up at the lights above the stage- would your shoe be enough to dislodge one of them?

No, that wouldn’t work. Also, it was dangerous. And stupid. _It’s okay, it’s just a play. It’s just a play._ You try very, very hard to reassure yourself. _This is fine. This is fine. This is OH DEAR HE’S IN FRONT OF ME THIS IS NOT FINE._

And he’s smiling. _AAAAAAAAAA._ You hope your face isn’t as red as it feels. _No, it’s okay. This is fine. I’m fine. It’s just a play._ A play that you’re doing with Shiro. As a couple. With a dancing scene.

You are not, under any circumstance, fine. Panicked, you shoot Allura a warning glance- one that said “HELP ME YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIEND”- but for some reason, all she does is smile. Come to think of it, she probably knew Shiro was in the play. You’re willing to bet she was the mastermind behind all this, honestly.

“…Were you listening?”

You jump about three feet in the air. Shiro had been trying to catch your attention. _Oh GOSH I’m an idiot oh no what if he thinks I’m dumb ohh no oh no—_

“Uh- no? I mean yes! Wait, um… I mean… I mean… Could… you… repeat all of that?” You cringe inwardly at your terrible grasp of the English fucking language. Not that you couldn’t speak it well- you could- but when there is an Attractive Human in close proximity, your mind has a tendency to blank on actual English and instead leap right into WARNING MODE.

You shouldn’t be so worried, though. Shiro just looks a little amused. “I said, it’ll be great to work with you. I’m not too familiar with romantic plays, you know. Allura tells me they aren’t your first choice, either, so I guess we’ll just have to help each other.”

You try to muster up an encouraging smile. You think you pull it off, but your knees feel like jelly. You feel like you’re about to melt into the floor, and would gladly welcome the escape.

Instead, you nod awkwardly and ask Allura for the script. She hands a copy to you and Shiro each, smiling almost too gleefully. “We’ll start with the introduction- just a quick run-through to get a grasp of the story. I trust you’ve both already read over the script at least once beforehand, yes?”

You both nod.

Allura smiles and claps her hands. “Good! Well, then, get into place, you two! Hunk, the lights, if you please?”

* * *

 

You flop happily back on your bed that evening, the excited little butterflies in your stomach refusing to settle. Today’s practise went... Well! You didn’t mess up your lines, you didn’t step on anyone’s feet, you didn’t accidentally somehow burn anything down…

And Shiro! Shiro was so nice to you, and not at all intimidating. Well, you supposed, anyone taller than 5’9 was certainly intimidating in their own right, but at least you didn’t jump three feet into the air every time he said something to you. He really is a nice person…

For once, you actually feel confident. You end up going to sleep with a smile, looking forward to practise tomorrow.

* * *

 

You show up consistently, right on time for the next week or so, gradually learning your lines, slowly picking up your character’s- well, character. You’re even less nervous around Shiro- and Allura seems really pleased with your progress. You recall one time, when Shiro flubbed one of his lines and completely forgot the rest of the script. He looked like a deer caught in headlights- but he shook his head, smiled that _goddamned_ smile and apologised, asking Allura if they could try the scene from the top.

You’d smiled too- it was actually reassuring to know Shiro got flustered too. But still, you thought, I’d like to be that calm after making a mistake.

Apparently, you were going to be practising the dance scene today. You were actually excited! However, you do begin mentally screeching when Shiro appears in a suit. A very, very nice suit. It was definitely the suit you were focusing on. Definitely.

The lights dim to a soft, night-like atmosphere- fitting, as the scene took place near a moonlit lake. Your internal screaming intensifies as the soft music begins and Shiro takes you in ballroom pose, holding your right hand in his left, and placing his right at your waist. You almost forget you’re supposed to have your left hand over his shoulder, you’re so flustered.

There’s a swell in the music, the lights change from dark, blackened blue to wispy silver, your heart is racing, your head is swimming, you’re so close to him… You can see every detail of his face, you can feel him holding you close.

Shiro leans down. You hold your breath. “Um,” he whispers, a faint pink tinge on his cheeks. You look up dreamily. “Yes?”

“…Isn’t. Um. Your- your lines. Uh…”

You snap right back down to Earth, flushing bright red. You also want to smack yourself. Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God.

“Uh, right! Sorry, Allura, I, um… Forgot I was… Speaking first? Um, could we try again? Maybe?”

The music begins again, you dance with him again. You get your lines right, but you keep staring at the floor out of sheer embarrassment. Shiro says his with perfect clarity- of course- but he seems to rush through them slightly. Neither of you is looking at the other and neither of you speak with the “passion” or “emotion” these two lovers are meant to have. You try again and again, but to no avail.

Allura sighs. _She’s disappointed in me_. Your heart sinks into the floor. _I fucked up. I fucked up. Oh, God. It’s all my fault. Oh no. Oh no._

“We’ll have to work on that one more than I thought,” she says absentmindedly. “Oh, no, is that the time? Everyone, you must go home for the day! We’ve been here for more than half an hour than we’re supposed to!”

* * *

 

When you slowly sit on your bed, tipping sideways and landing on the mattress with a soft _thud_ , you truly come to realise how dead you are inside after today.

_I can’t believe I forgot my lines and oh God Allura is so upset with me what if I get kicked out what if Shiro hates me now oh no oh no he can’t hate me please don’t let him hate me oh God no…_

Nothing seems to stop the flood of thoughts, no matter how hard you try. You feel like crying; are you really that pathetic?

What would Shiro say if he saw you like this?

You’re meant to go back downstairs to have dinner, but you can’t bring yourself to stand. So, you just sleep.

* * *

 

You don’t show up to practise the next day. Or the day after that. You can barely bring yourself to leave your room, save for school. You were just so… Pathetic is the word that comes to mind. Yeah, that was it. Pathetic.

Your phone buzzes again with another text from Allura. You glance at the lock screen: it’s a perfectly neat and grammatically correct text. You almost smile. Very typical of her.

You jump when your phone begins blaring, “AIYAIYAI I’M YOUR LITTLE BUTTERFLY, GREEN BLACK AND BLUE, MAKE THE COLOURS IN THE SK-“

“Yes?” You snap, after fumbling with your obnoxious phone for a second or two. The song meant it was Keith- an old friend of yours- who’d called, but the voice that answers isn’t his.

“Sorry,” they say quickly. “Sorry. I didn’t have your number, so I had to ask my cousin…”

You bolt upright. “…Shiro?” Oh no. Oh no. You snapped at him. He probably- no definitely hated you now. What was he even calling about? Was he worried? Oh, no, you made him worry. God.

“Yeah,” He pauses. “You haven’t been to practise lately. Is… Everything okay?”

 _No,_ you want to say. _No, everything is NOT okay. I’m a failure and I’m stupid and I forget everything and it’s my fault and I don’t deserve to have that role._

But you don’t. Instead, you muster up as cheery a voice as possible, and say “I’m okay! Just feeling a little sick. Tell Allura I’m sorry.” Silence. “I-I’ll be back soon!” You add quickly, nerves rising.

There’s a long pause. “You sure everything’s alright? A week is a long time to be sick.”

You want to cry. “Yeah, I’m good! Really, Shiro, I’m fine,” you half-laugh. Another long silence. Finally, you hear him sigh.

“Alright. Be back soon, okay?”

He hangs up.

You fall back into bed and stare at the ceiling.

* * *

 

Shiro shakes his head as he gives Keith back his phone. “They aren’t alright. They said they were sick, but…” He trails off. Allura squints at the phone like it’ll give her answers. “They never get sick. Not this badly, anyway.” She says vehemently, starting to storm towards the door. “Something else is wrong. I’m going over to see them right no-“

Keith puts a hand on Allura’s arm, stopping her. “Don’t bother. It’ll only make them worse.” He averts his eyes. “I’ve… I’ve seen them like this before. Maybe I should go.”

“Or maybe none of us should,” Shiro says, glancing at Keith. “Keith, you said earlier that they have anxiety, right?”

Keith nods.

“A surprise visit from people they’re trying to avoid will only make it worse, don’t you think?”

He nods again, looking sheepish. “Then, what should we do? We can’t just let them do this to themselves.”

“We’ll just give them time, okay? Don’t worry, Keith,” He says, laying a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I know they’re your friend, but… They’ll come ‘round eventually.”

* * *

 

Allura, being the determined person she is, however, does not give you time. No, the second she sees you at school, she makes a beeline for where you’re standing, pulling you by the arm to the drama room. You flinch, and she relaxes her grip, but doesn’t stop dragging you. “Allura—“ You try to protest.

“Nope! You are not getting out of practise today. We’ve been missing you too long!”

 _Missing me?_ “But… I- I messed up…”

Allura keeps walking. “So?”

You pause. “O-oh. I didn’t… I thought…”

Your friend stops at the theatre hall’s doors and turns back to you, looking concerned. “You thought we didn’t want you in the play anymore because of a flubbed line?” She asks. Sheepishly, you nod.

“Oh, but that’s so silly! I’m sorry!” Allura throws her arms around you for a moment. “You’d never be kicked out for something so small- and even if you were, it’s not like that suddenly negates years of friendship, now, does it?”

She smiles and takes your arm again- you smile back. “I’m sure Shiro will be happy to see you back,” she says to you, pushing open the doors and leading you inside.

Shiro’s face lights up as you enter- he all but runs over to you, asking over and over if you’re okay,  no, but are you _really_ okay, and you just have to nod and say that you are, and you’re sorry. _He was worried about me,_ you think, feeling guilty. But a small part of you feels almost happy at that fact- he didn’t hate you. People don’t worry over people they hate.

Suddenly, you smile up at him, realising you might have blown this a bit out of proportion. He smiles back. Then, unexpectedly, Shiro wraps you up in a hug. You squeak, and he lets you go immediately, looking alarmed. “Did- did I hurt you?”

You hear Allura stifle a laugh as you say, “No, no, I’m okay.”

Shiro swallows, going red. “Um. Good. That’s good.”

There’s an awkward pause for a moment, before Allura announces that practise _must_ start again soon or they’ll never be prepared in time. She winks at you- you try to ignore it.

 

The rest of the year’s practise goes well, and the first half of the play was stunning- the tech team- Pidge and Hunk, you think their names are- really did fantastically. And Allura’s costume design was amazing- moments before the play began, you were staring at the shimmering fabric of your costume in wonder, amazed at how fabric could so beautifully replicate a sunset sky.

The final scene was one you hadn’t practised before, as Allura had announced a _slight_ change just after the intermission- she caught your eye, and smiled knowingly. You were glad for the copious amount of foundation you had on, else everyone see you blush madly.

But as the lights dim slowly, you reciting your lines and Shiro replying with his, stepping ever so closer to him as he held his breath and closed his eyes, you forget anything else exists. You forget the crowd, the music, the script, the play, the world. You forget everything. You close your eyes, and lean in close.

Shiro wasn’t actually supposed to kiss you in this scene. The curtains were meant to close before that, and the play would end.

But he does anyway, and it’s the most magical feeling in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> questions? comments? requests? hmu on my writing blog: dhillarearenn !


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